A Summer with You
by CoolNameNotIncluded
Summary: First time posting here. I'm trying to get a feel for format and such, so bare with me. Left without a roommate, Puck thinks the summer is going to be a bust. Little does he know, an unexpected visitor is on the way. What will come of the summer they share? (Light on dialogue at the beginning, but that will change as the story gets set up a little more). Oh, and I don't own Glee.
1. Chapter 1

_"You're a Lima loser, and that's all you're ever going to be."_

Those words replayed over and over in Puck's mind. The sad part was, he couldn't even be upset. They were right. Every single person who pegged him as a Lima loser was right. He wasn't going to be some big shot in Los Angeles. Hell, he wasn't even going to be a big shot in Lima. For the first time since he graduated, Puck felt like a complete failure. Rachel, Kurt, and Santana were in New York. Quinn was in New Haven. Nobody else really mattered. Sure, Finn was someone he called a roommate for a week or two. After that, his temporary bro bounced. Apparently, Finn had better things to do. Puck couldn't really blame him. It seemed like everybody from his graduating class was making something of themselves. Of course, he still felt like the outcast. The loser, if you will. Being a badass in high school didn't make you a badass beyond that. Puck wanted nothing more than to hop on a plane and take a flight anywhere. He just wanted to get away. Hell, Afghanistan sounded cool to him. Surely, they wouldn't call him a Lima loser there.

Just as he was about to crack open his fourth beer of the night, he heard his cell phone ring. Furrowing his brows, Puck fished in his pocket and answered the call without even bothering to check who was on the other end_._

_"Hey, um, hi. How have you been, Puck?"_

Those eight words were enough to leave Puck speechless. Did someone actually care? Unable to formulate a coherent response, he pulled the phone away from his face and stared at the contact information. He wanted to reply, but he couldn't.

Instead, a smile spread across his face and he pressed the phone to his cheek as he rasped, "Hey…" No matter how much of a loser he was, Puck knew that he wasn't alone. There was one girl who could always make him feel like the most special guy on the planet.


	2. Chapter 2

Quinn didn't say a word. She let the silence overtake them. Puck was cool with that. After all, he wasn't really one of those dudes who talked a lot and expressed feelings.

"_It's been a while, Puck_," she stated as if I wasn't aware of her absence. Ever since Thanksgiving, she was like a ghost. I hadn't spoken to her. The only thing I knew was that she was still attending Yale. I also heard that she was fucking one of her professors, but I chose not to believe that. Could you blame me? That wasn't Quinn's style. Yeah, she had her demons, but she never gave up on her faith. Even when some may have assumed her faith gave up on her, she still remained strong. As a Jew, I didn't know much about Catholicism, but I did know Quinn. She was one of the most stubborn, frustrating, and loving people I had ever met. That may have seemed like a strange combination to some people, but they obviously didn't know Quinn.

Glancing around his barren room, Puck took a seat on his bean bag and replied, "Yeah, I thought you got lost in one of those black holes." A few seconds later, he smiled and added, "I ain't talking about Paris Hilton's vagina either. I'm talking about one of those real black holes up in the sky or whatever." All Quinn could do was roll her eyes and laugh. Puck expected nothing less. He was never the brightest guy in the room, but he did have ambition. Just because he wasn't doing much right_ now_, that didn't mean he wasn't going to make it. At least, that was what he told himself.

Once again, the silence reached from Lima to New Haven. Neither one of them said a word. Puck wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. The silence wasn't entirely uncomfortable, but he did want to forge ahead with the conversation. Clearing his throat as he glanced at a familiar photograph next to his bed, he asked, "So, um, are you coming home?" Unable to help himself, Puck rolled his eyes. He wasn't trying to imply that Lima was her home or that she needed to be here with him. Trying to save himself, he clarified, "I mean, your mom probably misses you or whatever." He rested comfortably against the bean bag before closing his eyes and saying, "If you're around or whatever, you can always come visit. It'd be cool or whatever."

As expected, Quinn was ten steps ahead of him. Ten steps turned into hundreds of miles. Little did Puck know that she was already in Lima. Taking another look around his pathetic room, he groaned and added, "I swear you ain't missing much not being around here. It's the same shit. Even though Rachel's in New York, Finn's still obsessed with her. It's crazy!" Puck was trying to be as honest as possible, but he was still trying to keep the mood light. He didn't want to delve into any topics that were deeper than a puddle. Resting his head against the bean bag, he swallowed and asked, "So, what are you doing this summer? Got some internship?" Puck chose not to add, _"With one of those asshole dudes who think they're all that and slick their hair back. Just because they come from money, that doesn't make them shit!"_

Instead, he listened as Quinn softly replied, "I've got a few ideas. You know I'm full of surprises…"


	3. Chapter 3

A small smile appeared on Puck's face. Just talking to Quinn made him happy. She seemed to be doing well. At least, she sounded happy. No one deserved happiness more than her.

"I don't know about that. It's been a while," he finally replied. He wasn't stupid enough to doubt Quinn Fabray, but that didn't mean he couldn't mess with her a little bit.

His smile grew as he asked, "Does that mean you got a surprise waiting for me when you come back to Lima?"

Before Quinn had a chance to answer, he heard a knock at the door. Groaning softly, he said, "Hold on. Somebody's at the door."

Rising from the bean bag, Puck strode over and opened the door. The sight in front of him nearly took his breath away.

"Surprise," Quinn whispered as she ended the call.

Puck couldn't believe this was happening. Quinn was in Lima. Like, right in front of him. Not until now did he realize how much he truly missed her. Rachel, Kurt, and Santana came home often, but she stayed in New Haven and did her own thing.

"Wow… um, hey," Puck stuttered out as he looked her up and down. He couldn't help it. Even though he hadn't been with her since sophomore year, he still found her attractive as hell.

The action didn't go unnoticed by Quinn, and she smirked. "Going to let me in, Puckerman?" she asked with the patented Fabray eyebrow raise.

"Oh, yeah," he replied dumbly as he moved out of the way and let her in. After shutting the door behind her, he took a deep breath and watched as she took a seat on the bed. His bed. He dreamed about something similar, but they were both wearing far too much clothing for that.

Trying to take it down a notch on the perv-o-meter, Puck cleared his throat and said, "It's good to see you, Quinn." That was the God's honest truth. He regretted how they grew apart the summer after giving Beth up for adoption. However, that was in the past. They were adults now. Well, in theory. Puck didn't really feel like an adult. Not yet, anyway.

Not much had changed since high school. He was still a sucker for a hot chick, and he still liked to party. One day, he would grow up. One day.

"It's good to see you, too," Quinn replied with a kind smile. She wasn't sure why she felt compelled to come and see Puck. She just _did_. He wasn't her last stop out of town. In fact, it was quite the opposite. He was her first stop, and there was _no way_ she was about to question why exactly that was.

Shifting on the bed, she watched Puck take a seat on a Star Wars bean bag. _"Typical Puck,"_ she thought. Smiling softly at her former flame, she said, "I'm done with classes for the semester, so I figured I would come back to Lima for a while. New Haven's great and all, but sometimes you just miss home."

Puck nodded understandingly. He knew exactly what she meant. When he lived back in Los Angeles, he thought about home all the time. His friends and family were always on my mind.

"Babe, don't lie. What you _really_ missed is Puckerone. Don't blame you. Doubt you'll find any badasses out there with guns like these," he replied as he flexed his muscles. Yeah, he definitely hadn't changed much.

Quinn couldn't help but roll her eyes. He thought he was God's gift to women, and he never missed an opportunity to let it be known. A part of her found it endearing. She would never tell him that, though. His head might explode.

Speaking of heads, she grinned and pointed to his hair. "I like it," she said simply. She was a fan of the mohawk, but he could work just about any hairstyle.

Puck smirked and ran a hand through his hair. One day, he just decided to grow it out, and he hadn't cut it since. The ladies seemed to like it, so he wasn't about to mess with perfection. "It's pretty cool. Gives the chicks more to work with, you know?" He continued to smirk as he waited for her reaction. _Bingo_. Eye roll #2. He was on tonight.

Quinn chose not to reply. Instead, she looked around the room in confusion. She was sitting on a bunk bed, but he didn't appear to have a roommate. The room was too clean for two teenage males to be inhabiting it. "Where's your roommate?" she asked frankly. Even if his roommate went back home for the summer, there would still be the typical male cues adorning the room. Simply put, there would be crap everywhere that neither he nor his roommate got around to cleaning up.

Resting his hands behind his head, Puck smirked and replied, "Got lucky, babe. Finn left, now I'm on my own. That means I can bring chicks back here whenever I want. I ain't gotta worry about a bitching roommate. It's pretty awesome."

Was Puck technically enrolled at Lima University? No. Was Puck technically fucking someone in the housing department? Yes.

It was a win-win.

"You're ridiculous," Quinn said as she shook her head. She should have known. Puck didn't seem like your typical college student. His explanation made _a lot_ more sense.

Would it be too much to ask him _why_ he returned to Lima? She didn't want to overstep any unwritten boundaries. After all, they hadn't spoken in months. Quinn figured it best to keep things as simple as possible. Still, curiosity got the better of her.

"Why did you move back?" she asked all of a sudden.

Puck looked down and clasped his hands together. He really didn't want to talk about that, but he didn't want to be rude. It's not like Quinn could read his mind.

He wasn't trying to hide anything. That wasn't it at all. The main reason he didn't want to talk about it was because he was disappointed in himself. He returned to Lima and gave up his dream of making it in Los Angeles. He could have. Puck _knew_ he could have. His pool cleaning business was doing well, but life is funny like that. It throws a curveball when you least expect it.

Jake.

All of a sudden, he had a half-brother. Puck felt like if he stayed in Los Angeles, he would be no better than his father. It didn't make much sense now, but at the time, that was how he felt. He didn't want to be like his father, so instead of living out his dreams, he returned to the one place everyone said he would end up.

Lima.

He was just a Lima loser. He put a half-brother he didn't even know before himself, and he was dealing with the consequences. He didn't have a job. He wasn't in college. He was just… a loser.

Quinn didn't need to know all of that, though.

Opting for the feel-good answer, Puck replied, "It just wasn't working out. I guess LA didn't have as many cougars as I thought." Lies. He didn't like lying, but he didn't want to drag the conversation down. He wanted to be happy. Just seeing Quinn put him in that kind of mood.

Focusing intently on Puck's body language, she knew he was lying. He clearly wasn't comfortable talking about his return to Lima, so she left it alone.

"_Another day,"_ she thought. _"Shit, I'm already thinking about the next time. We're not even through hanging out __**this **__time._"

Realizing she was already in too deep, Quinn stood up and smoothed out her dress. "I—we should hang out. If you want to," she added quickly, trying not to appear desperate. They had a whole summer to spend time together.

Following her lead, Puck rose to his feet and nodded. That sounded good to him. Opening the door politely, he tried to come up with an appropriate good bye. Instead of overthinking it, he said, "I'll see you soon, okay? Don't go sneaking back to New Haven."

A few seconds passed, and he added with a smile, "You never know, this might be a summer to remember."

As she walked out the door, she thought to herself, _"I really hope so."_


End file.
